roulstone



N. FILTERS. PHOTO-LITHDGRAPMER. WASHINGTON. D CA nitrh 'taten istrut-l ffirr.

E. A. G. ROULSTONE, OF ROXBURY, MASSACHUSETTS.

' Leners Patent No. 71,223, .naar November 1e, 1867.

IMPROVEMENTS IN TBUNKS.

tlge sunnite maar it in tten ihnen patent 'mit uiting @nl nf tige nina.

'lO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONOERN:

Be it known that I, E. A. G. ROULSTONE, of Roxbury, in the county of orfolk, and State of Massachusetts, have invented Improvements in Travelling-Trunks, Ste. and I 'do hereby declare that the following, taken in connection with the drawings whieh'accompany and form part of this specification, is a description ot' my invention suihcient to enable those skilled in the art to practiseit.

The invention relatesy to certain improvements in the details of construction of travelling-trunks, valises, portmanteaus, travelling-bags, 85e., with particular reference to increasing their strength anddurability, and to' lesscning their cost.l Considering these articles all to be modications one of the other, it will only-be neces-v sary to describe the improvements as applied to a travelling-trunk, as their adaptation to analogous uses in other articles will be readily understood.

The invention consists, primarily, in forming the surface of the trunk of leather or other equivalent iiexible material, in which alternate parallel convex and concave ribs and fu'rrows are produced, thereby imparting rigidity to the body, and a finish to the outer surface thereof.

The invention also consists in forming the metal corner of the trunk or other article of two pieces of'anglemetal, each lapped upon and riveted to the other, the two making a right-angular corner or moulding, in which the angle is easily'formcd without wrenching or unduly straining the metal, this arrangement enabling me, in making bag-frames, to make use oi' metal strips, cut crosswise of the metal plate, whereas, in making frames, as now practised, the metal strip is cut lengthwise 'of the plate, in which direction the metal is much weaker than in a cross direction. i

The invention also consists in securing straps to the trunk, by means of loops projecting through the body from the inside, and held to' the trunk by cars or bearing-plates, secured to the loops, and having a bearing' against the-inner surface of the body. i

Also in the arrangement and method of hanging the tray, which shuts into the lid or upper part of the trunki The drawings represent a trunk andvparts of a trunk embodying my invention. l

A. shows a vertical longitudinal sectionof the same; B shows an end view, and C a face view of one of the corners. D shows the same in perspective. E is a front view of one ofthe trunk-straps and the metal loops by which it is held to the trunk. F is a cross-section, showing the strap and loops, and the adjacent part of the trunk body. Gr is an end view of the tray, on a scale one-half the scale of the other igures.

a denotes the lower part or half of the trunk, and 6 the upper part or lid. The leather is formed intol alternate and parallel ribs e and depressions d by passing it through corrugating-rolls, or by stamping it, the whole body being formed in this way, or vonly those parts most exposed to wear and abrasion, this formation serving not only to increase the strength of the trunk, but the projecting' surfaces confining the eiects of any blow upon the trunk to that part ofthe surface at which such blow is received. Each metal corner O is formed A in twol pieces, ef, of angle-plate, each piece being slit at the angle g, and having a tongue, t, formed on the part entering into the round corner, so that, by simply curving this tongue, and lapping it over the end of the other piece, and lapping the straight parts, the two pieces may be riveted or otherwise secured together, so as to make a neat and very strong and rigid corner-piece, shorter pieces being thustemployable than where one,

strip has to be bent to form a band around the entire edge to be covered.

Each strap .7t2 is applied to the trunk by means of a metal loop, t', the opposite ends oi`v the-wire of which such loop is formed extending through the body, and having lateral projections or hold-fast plates i2 aiixed t0 them, so that the loop is prevented from being drawn out by such ears or the hold-fast plates. The loop may be made on the strap, and the strap be run through a slit in the body, and a strap of leather or other material be run through the loop within the trunk; lbut I do not consider this as so reliable a provision for holding the strap as is furnished by the metal loops, though in either case it will be observed that the strap is applied to the trunk without being directly or permanently attached thereto. i

In applying trays to shut into the lid part of atrunk, the tray is usually hinged tothe'trunk-frame or body at one edge by butt-hinges, the strainiupon which is constantly loosening their fastenings. To ohviate this, I hang the tray upon rivets or jointpins'k, extending through plates I, fastened upon the tray, into metal bearings m, fixed to the frame or body of the trunk, the strain coming almost wholly upon the pin and these bearingplates, in such manner as not to tend to loosen them.

Besides this, I apply the bearing-plates at some distance from the edge of the tray, (as seen at G, which shows an end View of the t1ay,) so that, in opening the tray, the depth in the trunk-lid is made available for entrance of the back part of the tray, making it more readily accessible and more evenly balanced.

I claim, in the construction of travelling-trunks and analogous articles- The employment ot leather or equivalent flexible material, having its surface formed into alternate parallel ribs and furrows, substantially as shown and described.

Also, forming the metal corner of' a bag or trunk-frame, or moulding, of separate pieces of angle-metal, united as set forth..

Also, attaching the strap to the 'trunk-bodyby means of a loop, connected with and held by a fastening plateor projections within the trunk, substantially as set forth.

Also, the manner of hanging the tray, substantially as shown and described.

E. A. e. RoULsToNE.

Witnesses:

J. B. CROSBY, FRANCIS Groom)A 

